Before you start: what goes into an ice cream base recipe
Every homemade ice cream recipe comes down to a balance of fat, milk solids, sugar and water. The Guelph e-Book gives these ranges for a hard-frozen mix:
- Milkfat: above 10% up to 16%
- Milk solids-not-fat (the protein, lactose and minerals in milk): 9% to 12%
- Sucrose: 10% to 14%
- Water: 55% to 64%
The e-Book also says sweeteners usually make up 12% to 16% of the mix by weight. They improve texture and flavor and are usually the cheapest source of solids.
For a concrete starting point, the e-Book’s example base is 30% heavy cream (35% fat), 50% whole milk, 4% skim milk powder, 15% sugar and 1% egg yolk.
Our own Philadelphia base formula targets 14% fat, 10% milk solids-not-fat and 16% sweetener. That sits inside the Guelph ranges. It is a base formula built on standard food-science ranges, not a tested recipe.
To build your own base, use the Open the Base Builder button under the intro. The calculators run in your browser, and the numbers you type are not sent to our server.
Step 1: mix and heat the base
The home method in the Guelph e-Book comes from a 1980 home-freezer guide. It works like this:
- Put the liquids in the top of a double boiler.
- Beat in the eggs and skim-milk powder.
- Mix the gelatin with the sugar, then stir it in.
- Heat while stirring to about 158 F (70 C).
- Cool the mix as fast as you can in cold water, to below 18 C.
Commercial mixes are held to a stricter standard. The U.S. federal definition of a pasteurized mix is every particle heated to and held at 155 F for 30 minutes, or at 175 F for 25 seconds, or an equivalent time and temperature.
If your recipe uses eggs, note what the FDA Food Code 2022 says. It requires pasteurized eggs in dishes such as ice cream unless the egg dish is cooked to its stated temperatures. For raw shell eggs that are not served right away, that is 155 F (68 C) for 17 seconds. This is a rule for restaurants and stores, not a home rule, but it gives you a clear number to aim for.
Step 2: age the mix
Put the cooled mix in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Overnight is the usual choice. The Guelph e-Book says to keep it at or below 5 C during that time, and that overnight likely gives better results.
Ageing does several jobs. According to the e-Book, it:
- gives the fat time to cool and crystallize
- lets the proteins and any stabilizer take up water
- lets emulsifiers settle onto the fat droplets
Together these improve whipping, body and texture. The e-Book also says an unaged mix shows its weakness quickly once it hits the freezer.
The makers agree. The Cuisinart booklets say precooked mixes should be chilled overnight or over an ice bath until completely cool, and that most recipes can stay in the refrigerator up to 3 days before freezing. KitchenAid says every mix needs to be completely chilled in the refrigerator first.
The 1980 Guelph guide says to stir in flavoring after ageing. It also says that making the mix the day before gives a smoother product and a higher yield.
Taste before you churn. KitchenAid, Cuisinart and Ninja all note that freezing mutes sweetness. A mix will taste less sweet once frozen than it does cold from the refrigerator.
Step 3: freeze and churn
Churning has two jobs, according to the e-Book: take heat out of the mix and whip air into it. Ice cream can be up to half air by volume. Without that air it would be a frozen block. As the mix churns, the fat partly clumps together, much like it does in whipped cream, and that sets the structure.
Get the machine ready
For freezer-bowl machines, the bowl must be completely frozen first:
- Cuisinart ICE-21: 16 to 24 hours
- Cuisinart ICE-30BC: 24 hours in general
- KitchenAid attachment: at least 15 hours
Turn the machine on before you pour in the mix. Cuisinart says to do it this way, and KitchenAid warns that mix poured in first may freeze the dasher in place.
Do not overfill
The mix grows as air goes in, so every maker sets a limit:
| Machine | Fill limit |
|---|---|
| Cuisinart ICE-21 | Recipes of 1 1/2 quarts or less, mix stops 1/4 inch below the top |
| Cuisinart ICE-30BC | Recipes of 2 quarts or less, mix stops 1/2 inch below the top |
| KitchenAid attachment | Starting mix no more than 46 oz (1.4 L) to make 2 quarts |
| Nostalgia 4 qt | Canister no more than 2/3 full |
| Whynter | Mix no more than 60% of the bowl |
| Ninja CREAMi | Never past the MAX FILL line |
How long to churn ice cream
| Method | Churn time |
|---|---|
| Cuisinart ICE-21 | Less than 20 minutes (vanilla recipe: 15 to 20) |
| Cuisinart ICE-30BC | 25 to 35 minutes (vanilla recipe: 20 to 25) |
| KitchenAid attachment | 20 to 30 minutes on STIR speed |
| Ice and salt bucket | 20 to 30 minutes (Guelph) |
For a compressor machine, follow the times in your own manual. The sources we use for this guide do not cover freezing or processing times for the Ninja CREAMi, so check the Ninja owner’s guide for those.
When churning ends, expect soft-serve. Even commercial batch freezers draw the ice cream at a soft-serve consistency, with about half of its water frozen.
If your recipe uses alcohol, Cuisinart says to add it in the last 2 minutes, because alcohol can slow freezing.
Step 4: add mix-ins
The 1980 Guelph guide splits flavors into two groups. Liquid flavors go in before freezing. Fruit and nuts go in after churning and before hardening.
The makers give more detail:
- Cuisinart says to add chips and nuts about 5 minutes before the end, through the spout, in pieces no larger than a chocolate chip. The ICE-30BC booklet allows up to 1 cup of mix-ins in total.
- KitchenAid gives two different answers in its own guide. The how-to step says to add solids after 12 to 15 minutes of mixing. The tips section says to wait for the final 2 minutes.
Step 5: harden and store
Home machines make a soft product. For firmer ice cream, move it to the freezer:
- Cuisinart: 2 hours or more, then let it rest 15 minutes before serving
- KitchenAid: 2 to 4 hours in a shallow airtight container
- Guelph: at least 3 hours before serving
Do not store the ice cream in the freezer bowl. It sticks and can damage the bowl. Cuisinart says to leave it in the bowl in the freezer for no more than 30 minutes.
Colder, faster hardening gives a smoother result. The e-Book explains that commercial plants use blast freezers at -30 to -40 C. Below about -25 C ice crystals stop growing, and above that they grow at a rate that depends on temperature. The Cuisinart booklets say to set your home freezer to 0 F. FoodSafety.gov says frozen food kept at 0 F or below stays safe indefinitely, and any time limits are about quality.
Ice cream still scoops at freezer temperature because not all of its water freezes. At a serving temperature of -16 C, the e-Book says only about 72% of the water is frozen. The rest is a very concentrated sugar solution.
From your first batch to your fifth
These are our suggestions for getting more from each batch:
- Write down your times. Note how long the mix aged, how long it churned and how long it hardened. That gives you a record to adjust from.
- Change one thing at a time. The e-Book’s own order is fat and total solids first, then the balance of fat to milk solids, then the sugars, with stabilizer and emulsifier last.
- Freeze fast. The e-Book says faster freezing gives many small ice crystals and slower freezing gives fewer, larger ones. A fully frozen bowl, a well-chilled mix and a cold freezer all help.
- Try egg or gelatin. The 1980 Guelph guide says eggs help fat and water mix and improve whipping. The e-Book calls egg yolk the original ice cream emulsifier. The same 1980 guide uses one 7 g (1/4 oz) packet of gelatin per about 2 L of mix to absorb free water and help prevent large crystals.
To make more or less of any of these ice cream recipes for your ice cream maker, use the Scale a recipe button under the intro.
FAQ
How long should I churn homemade ice cream?
It depends on the machine. Cuisinart gives less than 20 minutes for the ICE-21 and 25 to 35 minutes for the ICE-30BC. KitchenAid gives 20 to 30 minutes, and Guelph gives 20 to 30 minutes for an ice and salt bucket.
Do I really need to age the mix?
The Guelph e-Book says to age it at least 4 hours, usually overnight. Ageing improves whipping, body and texture.
Can I use raw eggs?
The FDA Food Code requires pasteurized eggs in dishes like ice cream unless the dish is cooked to its stated temperatures. That is a retail rule, but it is a useful guide at home.
Why is my ice cream soft right out of the machine?
Home machines make a soft-serve style product. It needs at least 2 hours in the freezer to firm up, depending on whose guidance you follow.
Can I keep the ice cream in the freezer bowl?
No. It sticks and can damage the bowl. Cuisinart says no more than 30 minutes in the bowl in the freezer.